It also found that around 84 per cent support the move in the next 12 months.

While Trust said the research it commissioned sets out benefits of the big cats' return, but The National Farmers Union has previously raised concerns.

Scottish Natural Heritage, which is funded by the Scottish government, has claimed the plan would be "complex".

Chief scientific adviser Dr Paul O'Donoghue said: "Lynx reintroduction is a big step for all of us in the UK and this is the opportunity for a wide range of groups to really understand what it could mean, how they could be affected, and to tell us and the statutory agencies how they feel about it."

Lynx became extinct in the UK 1,300 years ago but Eurasian lynx can be found in western Europe, Russia and central Asia.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has previously argued that there is a "moral and ecological" case for the return of the lynx to Scotland.

It believes the reintroduction of predators such as the lynx would help restore balance in Scotland's natural ecosystems.

The lynx is the third largest predator in Europe, behind the brown bear and the wolf.